Crystal Ball Runhttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun
A College Football BlogFri, 19 Dec 2014 01:00:32 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1The Crystal Ball Run podcast focuses on the sport of college football with a unique blend of hosts, guests and reader interaction.Crystal Ball RuncleanCrystal Ball Runcrystalballrun@gmail.comcrystalballrun@gmail.com (Crystal Ball Run)As heard at a Saturday tailgate near youCrystal Ball Runhttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2014/05/Screen-Shot-2014-05-01-at-3.39.35-PM.pnghttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun
Russell Athletic Bowl tickets down 10% from last seasonhttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/russell-athletic-bowl-tickets-down-10-from-last-season.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=russell-athletic-bowl-tickets-down-10-from-last-season
http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/russell-athletic-bowl-tickets-down-10-from-last-season.html#commentsWed, 17 Dec 2014 06:00:32 +0000http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/?p=6690The Russell Athletic Bowl, which will be played on December 29th at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, will pit the Clemson Tigers (9-3), who finished 17th in the last AP Poll, against the Oklahoma Sooners (8-4). Clemson’s promising season was derailed early on with losses to Georgia and Florida State. Clemson, however, found its quarterback of the future in freshman Deshaun Watson. In between several injuries, Watson’s dual-threat ability provided a huge spark to Clemson’s offense. As a starter, Watson went 4-1 with his only defeat coming to the hands of Florida State in overtime. Watson unfortunately tore his ACL in Clemson’s final game against South Carolina and will miss this contest. Clemson will hope its top-ranked defense and rushing attack can support embattled quarterback, Cole Stoudt. Running back Wayne Gallman has taken over Clemson’s backfield and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Clemson’s defense figure to make life difficult for Oklahoma’s injured quarterback, Trevor Knight. This game will feature a lot of NFL talent and fans can expect to pay average ticket prices for this match-up.

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops expects the return of several key players for this bowl game. Knight, who suffered a neck injury in early November, missed three games, but is expected to return for this game. Knight is a prototype dual-threat quarterback that has accounted for 20 total touchdowns in nine games. Oklahoma also expects to have its top wide receiver, Sterling Shepard back for this game. Through eight games, Shepard had 957 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Shepard is one of the nation’s best deep threats, so expect a fierce battle between Clemson’s bruising secondary. True freshman running back Samaje Perine has been one of College Football’s best surprises. Perine has rushed for 1,579 yards and 21 touchdowns.

While fans expect to pay average ticket prices to attend the Russell Athletic Bowl, Clemson is looking to once again secure ten wins while Oklahoma is looking to build towards next season. Losing Watson does hurt Clemson’s chances, but its defense and rushing attack will help offset the losses.

]]>http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/russell-athletic-bowl-tickets-down-10-from-last-season.html/feed0Louisiana-Lafayette to make fourth straight R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl appearancehttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/louisiana-lafayette-to-make-fourth-straight-rl-carriers-new-orleans-bowl-appearance.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=louisiana-lafayette-to-make-fourth-straight-rl-carriers-new-orleans-bowl-appearance
http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/louisiana-lafayette-to-make-fourth-straight-rl-carriers-new-orleans-bowl-appearance.html#commentsTue, 09 Dec 2014 06:00:35 +0000http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/?p=6682The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl will pit the 7-5 Nevada Wolf Pack against the 8-4 Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. It will be the opening of the 2014-15 bowl season, taking place on December 20th at 11am at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It should be one of the more entertaining games of the bowl season with Nevada quarterback Cody Fajardo – one of just two quarterbacks in the history of college football to throw for 9,000 yards and rush for 3,000 – matching up with stud sophomore running back Elijah McGuire of the Ragin’ Cajuns.

The average price for New Orleans Bowl tickets on the secondary market is currently $64, according to TiqIQ.com. You can also find tickets available at the official ticketing websites for either Nevada or UL Lafayette. Fans looking to visit New Orleans for the game will find hotels near the Mercedes-Benz Superdome start at just $81, according to Hipmunk.com. You can also use Hipmunk as a resource for finding cheap flights in and out of New Orleans if you’re a fan of the Wolf Pack.

Nevada failed to qualify for a bowl game last year and have not won a bowl game since 2010 when they defeated Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. The senior quarterback Fajardo certainly does not want to end his illustrious career without a bowl victory in his senior season, so you can expect him to be ready to go in a little over a week from now.

Louisiana-Lafayette is no stranger to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl as they have participated the past three years, winning all three games. Last year they defeated Tulane 24-21, finishing off a 9-4 season in front of 54,728 fans. You can expect more Ragin’ Cajun fans in the building on December 20th as their campus is located just a two hour drive away from the stadium. It may feel like a home game for Louisiana-Lafayette which will make things that much more difficult for Fajardo and company.

This is arguably UL-Lafayette’s most difficult opponent in the R+L Carriers Bowl over the past four years. We will know soon if they are up to the task and can take home their fourth straight bowl victory in New Orleans.

]]>http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/louisiana-lafayette-to-make-fourth-straight-rl-carriers-new-orleans-bowl-appearance.html/feed0Baylor game a bargain for Texas Tech ticketshttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/baylor-game-a-bargain-for-texas-tech-tickets.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=baylor-game-a-bargain-for-texas-tech-tickets
http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/baylor-game-a-bargain-for-texas-tech-tickets.html#commentsFri, 17 Oct 2014 06:00:11 +0000http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/?p=6675The month of November will be a difficult test for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tech currently stands at 2-4 and are in the middle of a four game losing streak after beating Central Arkansas and UTEP to open the season. Since those two games, they’ve faced one SEC team (Arkansas) and three Big 12 programs, two of them ranked opponents and on the road (Oklahoma State and West Virginia.)

The schedule in November boasts just as many difficult opponents, but luckily they will be at home for most of them. They’ll open with the Longhorns of Texas and then host the Oklahoma Sooners two weeks later. After a road game against Iowa State, they’ll play Baylor at AT&T Stadium.

All four games, and particularly the home and neutral-site games will be opportunities for Texas Tech to prove their mettle against the Big 12’s best. For fans looking to go to one or multiple of these games, below is a breakdown for how expensive tickets will be, according to Totally Tickets.

The Longhorns have had their own struggles this season, currently at 2-4 just like the Red Raiders. Nonetheless, this is the most expensive game remaining on the Texas Tech schedule at an average price of $243. Texas defeated Kansas on the road on September 27th so they do have a Big 12 win on the record. This will probably be a pretty even matchup and a good opportunity for Texas Tech to stick it to their in-state rivals.

Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma football tickets have an average price of $181, the second most expensive game remaining on the Tech schedule. Oklahoma was upset two weeks ago at TCU and will probably need to run the table if they have any hope of being involved in the first ever College Football Playoffs. The week before this matchup, Oklahoma hosts Baylor so perhaps the Red Raiders will be able to catch them in a letdown game.

Tickets to see the Baylor Bears are actually the cheapest of the three games, perhaps due to the fact the game will be held at the massive AT&T Stadium. The average price is currently $166 with a get-in price for $33. You can even purchase an AT&T Stadium suites package for $16,500 so fans who want to live it up in luxury will be able to do so. At this point, Baylor will have a very good idea if they are in the hunt for a playoff spot or not, so expect prices to fluctuate a bit based on their likelihood of making the playoffs.

]]>http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/baylor-game-a-bargain-for-texas-tech-tickets.html/feed0UCLA vs Oregon Ducks tickets going for only $31 on secondary markethttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/ucla-vs-oregon-ducks-tickets-going-for-only-31-on-secondary-market.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ucla-vs-oregon-ducks-tickets-going-for-only-31-on-secondary-market
http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/ucla-vs-oregon-ducks-tickets-going-for-only-31-on-secondary-market.html#commentsThu, 09 Oct 2014 23:00:50 +0000http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/?p=6671This Saturday, a much anticipated PAC-12 conference game takes place when the No. 18 ranked UCLA Bruins host the No. 12 ranked Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Both teams are coming off setbacks in Week 7, each suffering their first loss of the season and ultimately dropping down numerous spots in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll. Oregon has dominated the all-time series with UCLA winning 10 of their 12 meetings and the Ducks have won five of their last six road games against top 25 opponents.

According to Barry’s Tickets, UCLA vs Oregon Ducks tickets for this game have a current average price of $133.99 on the secondary market with a get-in price of $31.

The Oregon Ducks suffered their first loss of the season in Week 6 because their usually vaunted offense was nowhere to be found against the Arizona Wildcats. Oregon put up its lowest scoring total and lowest output of yards in total offense against a team they were favored over by three scores. Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but only put up 24 points and are in danger of dropping back to back games for the first time in seven years.

Meanwhile, the UCLA Bruins also suffered a shocking loss to Utah because the Bruins’ offensive line was unable to protect their quarterback. QB Brett Hundley was sacked a whopping 10 times, completing 16 of 21 of his passes with two touchdowns and an interception.

The last time these two teams met it was an easy night of work for Oregon with a 42-14 victory last October 26. The Ducks outgained the Bruins 555-283 in total offense holding Hundley to just 64 yards of passing, his fewest yards of in any full game with the Bruins of the past three seasons.

]]>http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/ucla-vs-oregon-ducks-tickets-going-for-only-31-on-secondary-market.html/feed0Tickets for Stanford the most expensive on Notre Dame schedulehttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/tickets-for-stanford-the-most-expensive-on-notre-dame-schedule.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tickets-for-stanford-the-most-expensive-on-notre-dame-schedule
http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/tickets-for-stanford-the-most-expensive-on-notre-dame-schedule.html#commentsFri, 03 Oct 2014 15:45:35 +0000http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/?p=6666This Saturday a very good college football matchup between two Top 25 teams takes place as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish welcome the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium. The Fighting Irish are currently ranked ninth according to the Associated Press and are undefeated through their first four games, winning each relatively easily. However, the Fighting Irish will get their first test of the season as fourteenth ranked Stanford comes to South Bend. Stanford will certainly present some problems that Notre Dame has yet to face this season as they currently have the number one ranked defense in points allowed so far.

Notre Dame football tickets for this game have a current average price of $254 in the secondary market with a get in price of $109, the most expensive game remaining on the Fighting Irish schedule, according to Razorgator. Notre Dame historically has some of the most expensive NCAA football tickets of any program, and that is no different his year as they currently have the third most expensive tickets in the country (on average) this season.

Coming into this game, Notre Dame are actually one point underdogs despite playing at home and with a higher ranking. It could have something to do with the fact that Stanford has beaten the Irish in four of their last five meetings and have a top ranked defense in the nation that has allowed just 6.5 points per game through their first four games, suffering their lone loss thus far to the USC Trojans.

Notre Dame are undefeated but have not yet beaten any stiff competition and are coming off a sloppy performance against Syracuse, committing five turnovers, but still managed to win by a comfortable score of 31-15. The Notre Dame offense has been explosive through four games scoring 30 points or more and have been solid on defense.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Notre Dame’s offense matches up with the number one ranked defense in the nation, but the Stanford could also get their offense going which is currently ranked 77th and cost them their lone loss of the season.

]]>http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/uncategorized/tickets-for-stanford-the-most-expensive-on-notre-dame-schedule.html/feed0The final whistle blows for Crystal Ball Runhttp://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/2014-articles/the-final-whistle-blows-for-crystal-ball-run.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-final-whistle-blows-for-crystal-ball-run
http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/2014-articles/the-final-whistle-blows-for-crystal-ball-run.html#commentsTue, 08 Jul 2014 12:17:43 +0000http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/?p=6651For the past three seasons Crystal Ball Run has aimed to offer a unique perspective on the sport of college football, but today we turn the page and introduce you to The Student Section, the brand new college sports outlet from Bloguin. The Student Section has a strong editorial staff in place, with Matt Zemek, […]]]>

For the past three seasons Crystal Ball Run has aimed to offer a unique perspective on the sport of college football, but today we turn the page and introduce you to The Student Section, the brand new college sports outlet from Bloguin.

The Student Section has a strong editorial staff in place, with Matt Zemek, Terry Johnson and Bart Doan all ready to provide a fresh approach to Bloguin’s overall college sports coverage, with a large focus on football and basketball. Before The Student Section was launched, we had been splitting up the coverage between Crystal Ball Run and Run The Floor. The Student Section will essentially combine the efforts and audiences of both sites under one, unified brand.

So, what does this mean for Crystal Ball Run?

In a sense, this is the final whistle for Crystal Ball Run as we know it. The site will remain online for as long as we can see now, so all of the content will remain accessible in the archives of the Internet. And that is good, because over the past few years we have had some really good content, from feature stories to fun rankings and original and unique perspectives on some of the biggest stories that came our way.

I would like to thank every person who has helped to make Crystal Ball Run what it came to be. Some of us have come and gone and a few of us have gone on to take on new challenges I like to think became a more realistic opportunity in part because of the work done at Crystal Ball Run. For example, Aaron Torres is now with FOX Sports 1. Michael Felder has continued spewing college football knowledge with Bleacher Report. Personally, I latched on with College Football Talk along the way.

I would personally like to thank Aaron, Ben Koo and Allen Kenney for inviting me to be a part of this site from the beginning, and later entrusting me with the management of the site. Many thanks to all of the writers who joined us at any point in time. On behalf of everybody who has been associated with Crystal Ball Run, from writing to the work done behind the scenes in the Bloguin mainframe, I thank you, our readers, friends, family and fans who have supported us over the years.

I hope your experience with Crystal Ball Run was a good one. I believe we can all say it was on our side. We had some ups and downs, as any site does, but we did it all for our love of the sport of college football. It is my hope you will take your shared passion over to The Student Section, where you will find the same love of the game with insightful commentary and more moving forward.

]]>http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/big-12/iowa-state-shows-off-sexy-new-matte-helmets.html/feed0Which school is in which conference now?http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/acc/which-school-is-in-which-conference-now.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=which-school-is-in-which-conference-now
http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/acc/which-school-is-in-which-conference-now.html#commentsTue, 01 Jul 2014 14:23:52 +0000http://bloguin.com/crystalballrun/?p=6638Happy realignment day college football fans! Today is the day the most recent realignment changes are now official, with Louisville now a member of the ACC, Maryland and Rutgers in the Big Ten and two brand new FBS programs are opening a new era. It is a pretty cool day, but for many it may […]]]>

Happy realignment day college football fans! Today is the day the most recent realignment changes are now official, with Louisville now a member of the ACC, Maryland and Rutgers in the Big Ten and two brand new FBS programs are opening a new era. It is a pretty cool day, but for many it may be a bit confusing when trying to remember which school is in which conference.

American Athletic Conference: Tulane, Tulsa and East Carolina join the conference after leaving Conference USA. Louisville (ACC) and Rutgers (Big Ten) have left the conference. Navy will join for football in 2015.

ACC: Louisville joins the conference to fill a void left by Big Ten-bound Maryland.

Big 12: No changes.

Big Ten: Maryland and Rutgers join the conference. The divisions have been updated as well, with the newcomers joining Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State in the new East Division. All other Big Ten schools are in the West division.

Conference USA: Western Kentucky leaves the Sun Belt to join Conference USA. The conference maintains a membership of 14 schools despite losing Tulane, Tulsa and East Carolina to the AAC.

MAC: No changes, but this is the last year for UMass in the conference as a football member.

Mountain West Conference: No changes, but keep an eye on what happens with BYU, Idaho and New Mexico State.

Pac-12: No changes.

SEC: No changes.

Sun Belt Conference: Appalachian State and Georgia Southern are now FBS programs and new members of the Sun Belt. The conference also welcomes Idaho and New Mexico State, both as football-only members left behind in the rubble of the WAC implosion. The conference continues to look for more expansion options, so changes could come in 2015 for the 11-member conference.